Former NBA All-Star and Slam Dunk Champion Battling COVID-19 in ICU
A former NBA All-Star has a request for his fans. Cedric Ceballos went to social media on Tuesday to reveal he is battling COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital. He posted a photo that shows him wearing an oxygen mask.
"On my 10th day in ICU, COVID-19 is officially kicking my but(t), I am asking ALL family, friends, prayer warriors healers for your prayers and well wish for my recovery. If I have done and anything to you in the past, allow me to publicly apologize. My fight is not done….. Thx," Ceballos posted on Twitter and Instagram.
Ceballos, 52, was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the NBA Draft 1990. He played for the Suns for four years before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 1994. Ceballos returned to the Suns during the 1996-97 season before joining the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. He then played for the Detriot Pistons and then the Miami Heat before playing overseas and then spending time with other pro basketball leagues. He last appeared in 2011 playing for the Maywood Buzz.
In 1995, Ceballos was selected to play in his first and only All-Star game when he was a member of the Lakers. For the 1994-95 season. Ceballos averaged 21.7 points and eight rebounds per game. In 1992, Ceballos won the Slam Sunk Contest, beating the likes of Larry Johnson, Nick Anderson, Shawn Kemp and Stacey Augmon.
Ceballos is also a second cousin of the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. In a recent interview, Ceballos talked about Bryant possibly signing multiple players to his new shoe company. "A lot of people would have [gone] with him in whatever venture he went to. Just because they grew, and he was their Michael Jordan. You see how many players wear his shoes now in the game. They are a drop item; they have a new Kobe shoe coming out just like Jordan's. People will rush to it and try to grab it, and I'm not sure if he is second on the notch of desirable shoes, but he has to be at least top five," Ceballos said. In his career, Ceballos played in 609 career games and finished 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.